Fond family Anzac links remembered

Sam, 13, Jamie, 11, and Briarna, 7, always attend the Mount service with their parents, Reuben Merrett and Natasha Greig-Merrett. Photo/ John Borren

One hundred years on from the birth of the Anzac legend, Tauranga residents brought the day alive with their own stories.

Members of the Greig-Merrett family have been going to dawn services in Mount Maunganui since any of them can remember.

Sam, 13, Briarna, 7, and Jamie, 11, went to the service with their father, Reuben Merrett, and mother, Natasha Greig-Merrett.

Flag bearer Alf Bigwood.

"There were heaps of people there," Sam said. "I've been coming ever since I can remember and ... this is the biggest ..."

Briarna agreed: "It's the biggest because it's 100 years on. The bagpipes were really cool, and the Cubs and Scouts. But I liked the marching the best. And it was a nice sunrise."

The bugle call stood out for Jamie. "And the marching was really good. The Mount service is so good because of where it is, on the beach."

Gracie Hunt with her great-grandfather Noel Kelly.

The trio's great-great-grandfather, Frederick Reichardt, was a sapper at Gallipoli for six months before falling ill. Mr Reichardt recovered and was sent to Egypt.

The family still has a bugle he brought back from Gallipoli.

Anzac services are also special to the family because Mr Merrett was in the Army for 24 years. He joined in 1990 and served as a fulltime soldier for eight years and has been in the reserves since he left.

"We've been coming here a long time," he said. "It's the setting that brings us back. It's on the beach with the view with the waves in the background. It's that whole environment."

Alf Bigwood has been a flag bearer at the Mount Maunganui dawn service for 15 years and said this year's service was the best he had seen.

He holds his history close to his heart at memorial services.

In his left pocket sits a small, sepia photograph of his father who fought in World War II.

In the right pocket are his father's dog tags.

On her T-shirt Gracie Hunt, 11, proudly sported medals belonging to her great-grandfather who served in World War II.

"There was a lot of people there ... I'm really lucky to be alive for the 100th anniversary."

She also proudly joined her other great-grandfather, Noel Kelly, who wore his own World War II medals, as well as his father's World War I medals.

Mr Kelly, a life member of the Mount Maunganui RSA, served at Guadalcanal in 1942 in the Air Force when he was 18.

"I've been attending services at the cenotaph since 1968. We used to march there from the old post office in the early days - I think it's a bit far now."